Why Estudiar Is More Than "To Study"
Estudiar is the verb of school, exams, and careful thinking. It takes the subject directly (estudio medicina), para before an exam, en before a place, and it also means to examine a plan before deciding. It is a regular verb, so you can focus on the chunks.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will talk about school, work, and decisions without translating word by word.
Pattern 1: Estudio… — "I study…"
Spanish takes the subject directly after estudiar, with no preposition. Say what you study and where, and add estoy estudiando for something you are doing right now.
- Estudio medicina. — I study medicine.
- Estoy estudiando español. — I'm studying Spanish.
- ¿Qué estudias? — What do you study?
Chunk to learn:
Estudio + [subject] / Estoy estudiando + [subject]
Pattern 2: Estudiar para un examen — "To study for an exam"
Use para for the goal of your studying: an exam, a test, or a job. For more on para for purpose, see Por vs. Para Chunks.
- Tengo que estudiar para el examen. — I have to study for the exam.
- Estudia para ser médico. — He studies to become a doctor.
- Estudiamos para el examen de mañana. — We're studying for tomorrow's exam.
Chunk to learn:
Estudiar para + [examen / un puesto / ser + job]
Pattern 3: Estudié en… — "I studied at…"
Use en for the school or the city, and the preterite for something finished. It is the standard answer to "where did you study?" in interviews and small talk. For the tense, see Preterite vs. Imperfect Chunks.
- Estudié en Madrid. — I studied in Madrid.
- Estudió en la universidad pública. — She studied at the public university.
- ¿Dónde estudiaste? — Where did you study?
Chunk to learn:
Estudié en + [city / university] / ¿Dónde estudiaste?
Pattern 4: Estudiar toda la noche — "To study all night"
Exam stories need time expressions. Toda la noche is "all night", hasta tarde is "until late", and pasarse la noche estudiando is the colorful way to say you stayed up.
- Estudié toda la noche. — I studied all night.
- Me pasé la noche estudiando. — I spent the night studying.
- Estudia hasta tarde todos los días. — He studies until late every day.
Chunk to learn:
Estudiar toda la noche / Pasarse la noche estudiando
Pattern 5: Estudiar la posibilidad — "To consider the option"
Away from school, estudiar means to examine something carefully before deciding. It is a polite, formal chunk for proposals, offers, and plans.
- Estamos estudiando la posibilidad de mudarnos. — We're considering the possibility of moving.
- Vamos a estudiar su propuesta. — We'll look carefully at your proposal.
- Déjame estudiarlo con calma. — Let me think it over calmly.
Chunk to learn:
Estudiar la posibilidad de + [infinitive] / Estudiar una propuesta
Pattern 6: Mis estudios — "My education"
The noun estudios in the plural means your education: the courses and degrees you have completed. It appears on forms and in interviews, and it has its own set of chunks.
- Terminé mis estudios el año pasado. — I finished my studies last year.
- Tengo estudios universitarios. — I have a university education.
- Quiero seguir con mis estudios. — I want to continue my studies.
Chunk to learn:
Terminar los estudios / Tener estudios universitarios
Estudiar vs. Aprender
Estudiar is the effort and aprender is the result. You can study all night and still not learn the material, and you can learn something without studying it. For the other side of the pair, see [Aprender] Chunks.
Start with estudiar para un examen and estudié en…. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.